Chock block



July 24, 1934. V H, HOUSTON 1,967,823

CHOCK BLOCK Filed July 30 1932 INVENTOR h. if. H0215 ton 40 quiring the least possible Patented July 24 1934 UNITED STATES PATENT GFFIQE CHOCK BLOCK Application July 30, 1932, Serial No. 626,819

6 Claims.

My invention relates to chock blocks, or what are generally known in the trade as automobile loading blocks, being wooden chock elements adapted to be nailed down to the floor of a car or loading platform to hold an automobile against displacement While being shipped.

The type of block which has met the greatest favor with the trade is one which can be produced so cheaply that it can be discarded after a single use. While various types of wooden assembly blocks have been produced, they have not met with the same success as those termed solid blocks which are made by sawing timber stock to produce therefrom unitary blocks having each an inclined and preferably grooved wheel engaging face and a rearwardly extending heel portion suitable to receive nails for anchoring the block in position on the car or platform floor.

My present invention relates to blocks of the type formed from solid wooden billets and. comprises in part a continuation of my application, Serial No. 621,495, in which I have shown and described such blocks and. also a method for their production. In View of a divisional requirement the pending application aforesaid has been restricted to the production method and the block therein described, together with a preferred modification thereof, form the subject matter of this application.

There are certain fundamental requirements in reference to chock blocks of this type which determine their commercial availability, as follows:-

35 The block must be. strong and provide a well braced chock having an ample nailing heel conveniently accessible for the driving of nails therethrough.

The block must be economical to produce, re-

number of operations for its production and. a minimum of timber stock which will allow for a full depth groove along the entire length of its front or wheel engaging face, it being obvious that the longer and the deeper this groove the better will be the holding capacity of the block, against both longitudinal and lateral stresses.

The block must be light because they are as a general rule produced at points distant from the 5 place of use and freight becomes an important cost factor. Therefore, the ideal block design should have eliminated by the method of its manufacture all timber stock that can be dispensed with without unduly weakening it.

The block forming the subject matter of my present invention possesses all of the important characteristics above pointed out in that it is formed from a single block blank; it provides an extensive and conveniently accessible nailing heel; it requires much less wood stock to form the blank than other blocks which provide equal tire gripping and heel portions; and it possesses to the greatest degree possible lightness by reason of the peculiar shape in which its blank is cut from the stock, no additional operations being 5 necessary for the removal of stock to lighten the block.

All of these objects and. advantages will be best understood by reference to the accompanying drawing which illustrates my invention in its preferred embodiments only, and in which:-

Fig. 1 illustrates in side elevation my preferred type of block in operating position chocking a wheel shown in dotted lines;

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the block shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 illustrates the manner of cutting the block banks from timber stock; and

Fig. 4 illustrates in full lines a modified type of block the dotted lines showing the block blank 3 as sawed from the timber stock.

Similar reference numerals refer to similar parts throughout the drawing.

The block, illustrated in Figs. 1 to 3 inclusive, is formed by sawing block blanks or billets marked A, B and C from timber stock 5 which in cross section will have the height and. width requisite for the blocks. The blanks A, B and C are alike except that the blank B stands inverted and reversed with respect to blanks A and C. To produce the blanks the stock 5 is first sawed to produce kerfs 6 and 8 the same being inclined to form an acute angle with the adjacent billet top and bottom respectively. Each kerf should extend to or beyond the center of the block. As shown, they extend about two-thirds through the block. The stock is then sawed by like kerfs 6 and 8 to form double block billets. Each pair of saw cuts 6 and 8 can be made simultaneously in a swing saw machine or the cuts 6 or 8 can be made with gang saws if desired.

Having by the kerfs 6 and 7 produced the double block billets, each such billet is subdivided by the intersecting kerfs 7 and 9 cut in a swing saw machine to form the single block billets. The

kerfs 9 form an acute angle a with the block base equal to the angle b formed by the kerfs 6 with the top of the block.

The billet faces formed by the kerfs 6 and 9 are equal in size and form like inverted angles Us with the top and bottom planes of the stock, and the same is true with respect to the faces formed by the kerfs and 8, all the angles facing as shown to the right, Fig. 3.

These intersecting kerfs when completed sever the stock into block blanks or billets A, B and C which are alike and each as seen in Fig. 1 comprises a fiat bottom face 10, a rearwardly extending heel portion 11 defined between the bottom face 10 and one rear face 12, the heel being overhung by an upwardly reversely inclined rear face 13 extending to the top 14 of the block. The.

faces 12 and 13 thus form a rearwardly facing. obtuse angle.

The front of the block is: formed by a forwardly inclined face 15, which in the unfinished blank extends to the point 16, Fig. 1, and by a rearwardly inclined face 1'7, shown in dotted lines and corresponding in length and size to the rearheel face 12. This face 17 intersects with the top of the blank at the point 18.-

The blank as thus produced requires only a single operation to finish it and at the same time form its grooved tire engaging face 19. The groove is of uniform depth throughout, andv in order that it shall be as long as possible and also to lighten the block, I cut away as part of the grooving operation that portion of the forward upper corner of the block lying between the lines 19 and 17 (Fig. 1). This inclines the groove more rearwardly and increases its length while enabling me to obtain the full depth therefor throughout its entire length.

The block as thus produced is obviously obtained from a minimum amount of timber stock; it possesses its maximum strength in the line of the thrust from the wheel; it avoids the provision of useless stock at the toe; it forms a substantial and convenientlyv accessible heel; and it so disposes its retained stock as to give the maximum chocking efficiency for the timber required to form its blank. V

The provision of surplus stock at the upper forward? corner of the blank allows the grooved face to be cut at the desired tangent angle according to the diameter of the wheel to be chocked. The tire can thus be seated firmly in the groove throughout its full peripheral contacttherewith. Further, the. block blank provides' flexibility as to the strength desired, in that by cutting away less of the stock at the front face 17 and by widening the angle between the faces 13 and. is more. and more stock may be left in the body of the block until a condition is arrived at, such as is illustrated in Fig. 4, which will now be described.

In Fig. i the method of cutting out the block blank is the same as already described, except that the kerfs 6a, corresponding to 6, are cut in at right angles to the top. The kerfs 7a are out at a slightly wider angle to the top than the kerfs 7. The kerfs 9a are cut vertical to the base and the kerfs 8a are cut at a slightly wider angle to the bottom than the kerfs 8. This produces a block blank with a slightly longer base and a front face 15a which stands vertical and merges into the front inclined face 17a. This method of cutting the block brings the rear edge of the top; forward of the base and in cutting the groove 26a for the tire, the latter will intersect the face 1'70. before reaching the top 14a. This leaves the groove shallower at its upper end and shortens it. If the pitch of this face 7a be increased the depth of the groove could be held of constant depth but the length of the heel would be shortened which is undesirable.

It will be noted by reference to Fig. 4 that but very little of the stock is cut away except that required to form the groove. This small amount is indicated lying between the lines 19a and 17a and it thus follows that this block will be heavier than the block shown in Fig. 1 and will have a shorter wheel groove and one that has a shallower depth at its upper end. Further, it is not apparent that any advantage is gained by having the face 15 vertical as contrasted with the undercut face 15, but both forms of block can be cut in accordance with the same methods and they will produce superior chock blocks which can be readily adapted to the duty contemplated for them, only that stock being left in the block which will give it therequisite strength.

Obviously the heels present very conveniently disposed elements to receive the fastening nails 21 by which the blocks can be anchored to the floor or loading platform and this convenience of nailing is not adversely affected. by the forward inclination downwardly of the face 13, as shown in Fig. 1.

The kerfs '7 and 8 are equal, and the kerfs 6 and 9 are equal and both pairs of kerfs, as shown in Fig. 3, have the same obtuse angle, one pair facing upwardly and the other downwardly to,- ward the same endof the stock. The same. is true in Fig. 4, except the angle is widened and conceivably the angle could be widened further at the expense of stock to form the blanks. Each pair of kerfs 6 and 8, or 7 and 9 form the inverted front and rear faces of two; adjacent blanks and no other treatment is required to finish the blanks than to present them to the grooving cutter for forming the faces 19 and 19a.

The heel proper also comprises more than a third of the block base and it is disposed where it will most effectively brace the block as well as be conveniently placed for nailing.

While I have shown my invention in but two forms, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that it is not so limited, butis susceptible of various other changes and modifications, without departing from the spirit thereof, and I desire, therefore, that only such limitations shall be placed thereupon as are imposed by the prior art or as are specifically set forth in the appended claims.

What I claim is:

l. A chock block blank formed from a section of rectangular timber having angled ends forming complements of each other with the angle at the rear disposed to provide a rear downwardly inclined heel extension and the angle at the front end disposed to provide an upper bevel-led wheel engaging face.

2. A chock block blank of the character described in claim 1, in which the wheel engaging face is cut away and grooved to conform to a wheel periphery.

3. A chock block blank in the form of a section of a timber, said section having each of its ends formed by a like pair of angled faces, with the included angles similar and facing toward the back end of the block blank and relatively inverted to provide a rear nailing heel diagonally opposite a front bevelled wheel engaging face.

4. A chock block blank according to claim 3,. in which the two meeting faces which form respectively the front and back ends of the blank are all forwardly inclined with relation to; the top the shorter face uppermost at the front and lowermost at the back of the block.

6. A chock block blank according to claim 3, in which the rear upper face is inclined downwardly and. forwardly and extends beyond the middle of the block and the other rear face is relatively shorter and defines the top edge of a rearwardly inclined nailing heel.

HENRY I-I. HOUSTON. 

